Fernando VIII de España
Fernando VIII '(Fernando Carlos Gregorio Vincente Ferrer Antonio Joaquín Francisco Rafael Gabriel Luis Raimundo Lorenzo; born April 18th 1715) is the reigning King of Spain, Naples and Sicily, as well as Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He is the third Spanish monarch of the French House of Bourbon, having succeeded his father Carlos III at the age of ten in 1725. Due to his minority, his realm has since been governed by his mother, the Dowager Queen Marie Josephe of Savoy. Despite his young age, Fernando is officially one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe - with the vast Spanish Empire beneath him. Despite this, the overextension of his territories and the inefficiency of his government has led to economic struggles as well as difficulties in holding the Empire together. His reign has also been relatively politically unstable, as in under two years on the throne he has seen two chancellors at the head of his ''Consejo. ''Fernando, of course, rules only nominally due to his young age. Fernando has generally been known as a hard-working yet blundering boy. He is known to be earnest, trying his best, though his efforts often come to no effect. He was known to be honest and caring, though he was generally unintelligent and naïve, even for his age. He was known to his subjects as distant and detached, though his relative seclusion would be expected due to his young age. He is not known to be bookish: he instead prefers pursuits like falconry, hunting and gardening. He also has a great enjoyment for fashion and court ceremony, more than his father had. He is also known for his fascination with chivalry and the codes of honour in the Middle Ages, he tried to replicate them by immediately founding the ''Orden de la Sagrada Luz, meaning Order of the Holy Light, meant to embody these ideas of chivalry he so enjoyed. Early Life (1715 - 1725) '''Birth Infante Fernando Carlos Gregorio Vincente Ferrer Antonio Joaquín Francisco Rafael Gabriel Luis Raimundo Lorenzo de Borbón y Saboya was born on April 18th, 1715 at the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, as the third child and eldest son of Infante Carlos, Príncipe de Asturias and Marie Josephe de Savoie. He was born during the reign of his grandfather, Felipe VI, therefore immediately becoming second-in-line to the throne after his father. His birth was seen to further secure the Spanish line of the House of Bourbon, ensuring the male-line for another generation. He was named Infante of Spain ''and ''Duque de Galicia ''upon his birth. There were numerous events held to celebrate the birth of Fernando, including balls and galas. Though the Spanish court had been known as drab and formal under the Habsburg monarchy, the Bourbons had been seen to bring extravagance and colour to the Spanish court. This was evident more than anywhere else during the celebrations for the birth of Fernando, with unfathomable extravagance and indulgence in the eyes of the older Spanish nobility. Fernando was baptised at the age of five days, on April 23rd, by the Cardinal-Archbishop of Madrid. This too was a spectacle for the court. '''Early Years' WIP Ancestry Titles, Styles, Honours and Arms Titles and Styles * 18th April 1715 - 28th July 1722: 'Su Alteza Real, Infante Fernando Carlos, Duque de Galicia * '''28th July 1722 - 22nd November 1725: '''Su Alteza Real, Infante Fernando Carlos, Príncipe de Asturias * '''22nd November 1725 - Present: '''Su Majestad Más Católica, el Rey Fernando's full style as King was: "''Fernando VIII, by the Grace of God, King of Castile, Leon, Aragon, of Naples, of Sicily of Jerusalem, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Majorca, of Seville, of Sardinia, of Córdoba, of Corsica, of Murcia, of Menorca, of Jaén, the Algarves, Algeciras, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, of the East and West Indies, Islands and Mainland of the Ocean Sea; Duke of Parma and of Piacenza, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, Milan and Aspurg; Count of Flanders, Tirol and Barcelona; Lord of Biscay and of Molina." '''Honours * Gran Maestro del Orden del Toisón de Oro * Gran Maestro del Orden de la Sagrada Luz * Gran Maestro del Orden de' 'Isabel la Católica * Gran Maestro del Real y Militar Orden de San Fernando * Gran Maestro del Real y Militar Orden de San Hermenegildo * Gran Maestro del Orden de Montesa * Gran Maestro del Orden de Alcántara * Gran Maestro del Orden de Calatrava * Gran Maestro del Orden de Santiago * Caballero Gran Cruz del Orden del Espíritu Santo Category:Monarchs of Spain Category:Casa de Borbón Category:18th Century Births Category:Child Rulers Category:Births at Aranjuez Category:Princes of Asturias